In case you missed it, Pat Toomey was exposed yesterday for his extreme hypocrisy on gun safety and law enforcement issues, both on the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer and in a devastating Daily Beast report. Anyone with a passing understanding of Toomey’s re-election campaign recognizes that he’s trying to paint himself as a champion of law enforcement and a moderate on critical issues like gun violence prevention.
The reality couldn’t be more different.
Here are the facts on Toomey’s law enforcement record from the Daily Beast:
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In a politically charged letter to President Obama last week, “Toomey cited the BearCat vehicle” and “also mentions explosives used by police during the Orlando massacre to rescue hostages” as support for his bill that would roll-back limited regulations on sending surplus military equipment to police departments, a federal initiative known as the 1033 program.
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“Policy scholars who have studied the 1033 program, which was launched in 1996, are baffled by Toomey’s letter,” wrote the Daily Beast. One “scholar said Toomey and his staff showed a lack of discipline and likely did not read Obama’s executive order.”
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The equipment Toomey cited in his letter was neither acquired nor prohibited through the 1033 program. “Despite citing the nightclub massacre as an example, Chief John Mina doesn’t want what Toomey is selling,” reported the Daily Beast. Mina said the department purchased the armored vehicle Toomey that cites in his letter independently of the 1033 program. “Mina has been skeptical about acquiring military surplus equipment, specifically military-style vehicles.”
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Moreover, “according to data provided to The Daily Beast by Open the Books, the Orlando Police Department never acquired explosives through the 1033 program.”
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Turning the screw on Toomey’s shameless hypocrisy, the piece goes on to report that Toomey is completely two-faced on police protection. “In 2000, as a member of the House of Representatives, he voted for an amendment that would have eliminated the 1033 program entirely.”
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Finally, when pressed on these issues, a Toomey spokesperson admitted that his bill was more politically motivated than policy oriented: “Asked by The Daily Beast whether Toomey believes there are any merits to regulating which pieces of equipment should be transferred to local law enforcement, Anderson conceded that items such as bayonets—which have the sole purpose of bleeding out an enemy to death and are banned under the Obama order—should not be used by U.S. police forces.
“In other words, the bill Toomey is proposing is not exactly in line with what the senator believes either.
“Still, Toomey is already using the issue on the campaign trail.”
Here are the facts on Toomey’s gun safety record from the Philadelphia Inquirer:
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After the 2013 vote on the background checks bill, Toomey “waited more than three years before giving another Senate floor speech on guns”
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“It wasn’t until two weeks ago, as the nation reeled from the Orlando massacre and Democrats ramped up the political pressure, that Toomey gave another Senate address dedicated to the issue”
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The Inquirer found that Toomey spoke more than 80 times on the Senate floor, “but mentioned guns only in passing”
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“Some gun-control advocates who hailed Toomey’s 2013 bill have been dismayed by his recent votes. In December and June, he opposed Democratic proposals to close the so-called terror gap that allows suspected terrorists to clear background checks”